Let’s Talk About Mental Health and Suicide Prevention

Every 40 seconds, a person commits suicide. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people aged 15 to 29, only second to traffic accidents. Let’s talk about suicide prevention.

That is why every year since 2003, the International Association for Suicide Prevention has carried out campaigns, events, and conferences in more than 70 countries with the help of the World Health Organization (WHO) to focus on suicide prevention. They have designated September as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and September 10 as World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD).

Additionally, October is the National Depression and Mental Health Screening Month. Which focuses on creating awareness of the need for accessible and affordable mental health screening.

“Creating hope through action.”

According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the goal of World Suicide Prevention Day is to raise awareness globally, promoting community collaboration to address suicide and self-harm through preventive actions. The programs encourage debates about mental health in spaces often considered taboo, such as schools, homes, and workplaces. In addition to promoting professional help, WSPD encourages the exchange of stories among those contemplating suicide or who have been affected by it.

The theme of the WSPD for the past three years has been “Creating Hope through Action,” which seeks to get the community involved in actions to prevent suicide, serving as a reminder that alternatives exist and that it is beneficial to encourage hope and strengthen prevention measures. Regardless of the scale, the slogan indicates that these actions can provide hope to struggling people because “suicide prevention is a public health priority.”

Social stigma and lack of awareness remain major barriers to getting help to prevent suicide, highlighting the need for mental health literacy and anti-stigma campaigns.

Notably, Mexico is the first country in the Region of the Americas to promote a public program for suicide prevention at the national level (the PRONAPS program). It seeks to establish mechanisms to effectively serve the at-risk population through prevention, care, and research.

Suicide

The WHO defines this action as the “deliberate act of taking one’s own life;” it is the terminal act of violence one can commit. In addition, “it is an important but often neglected public health issue, surrounded by stigmas, myths, and taboos,” the PHO notes. It adds that every year, more than 703,000 people decide to end their lives, which means one death every 40 seconds.

At the same time, according to data from the Mexican National Program for Suicide Prevention, it is estimated that for every suicide, there are 20 previous attempts. In Mexico alone during 2020, data showed that 6.2 out of every 100,000 inhabitants successfully took their lives. The data takes into consideration the fact that suicides are under-registered worldwide.

Notably, university students are more vulnerable, given the presence of mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety, or neurodevelopment, which evolve from the demands of academic life.

Suicide prevention: How to help?

The Mexican Ministry of Health comments that suicide prevention should begin with eliminating erroneous and biased beliefs about mental health and promoting the search for support in emotionally vulnerable moments, starting with early detection of risk factors and follow-up on cases of those already in more advanced stages.

It is vital to responsibly disseminate this information and news in the various media. Similarly, one should avoid sharing information that promotes these attitudes or fosters unfavorable beliefs against people with suicidal attitudes so that they can seek help if necessary without being afraid of social repercussions.

However, the Ministry of Health also suggests that national mental health policies should encourage tolerance and create strategies to prevent bullying; even on a smaller scale, we can promote good social practices in our communities.

It is also necessary to pay attention to the signs that could indicate that someone has suicidal thoughts to act in time and offer the necessary help:

On the other hand, the World Health Organization points out that the most effective preventive interventions are media restriction and promoting awareness, life skills programs, early detection, management, and monitoring of people at risk of suicide.

However, the obstacles and difficulties are many; the stigmatization of mental disorders deters seeking help, and, as already mentioned, many cases of suicide may be misclassified, so we are not entirely aware of the dimension of the problem.

What else can we do to prevent suicide?

The 2022 Suicide Prevention Guide highlights the importance of not minimizing the other person’s emotions, acting sensitively, and avoiding prejudice. It emphasizes the protective benefits of integration into sports, social, and cultural groups.

The International Association for Suicide Prevention explains that the reasons for someone to decide on suicide can be highly complex. They may feel trapped or believe they are a burden to their family and friends; they find themselves alone and feel that suicide is their only option.

Supporting someone can be as simple as showing them that you care. It is not necessary to have answers. Shared space and time, as well as active listening, can be a great help for someone who is struggling.

The first step is to break the stigma.

For those who know someone with negative thoughts (or if you have started to have them), I leave several support numbers at your fingertips.

Moreover, if you belong to the Tec community and need emotional help, call 800-813-9500 or use the tec.orienta-me.com app.

Remember: We are not alone.

Translation by Daniel Wetta

Andrea Cristina Alvarez Pacheco

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This article from Observatory of the Institute for the Future of Education may be shared under the terms of the license CC BY-NC-SA 4.0